Feeding and Nutrition :: Always hungry?

[MerryMenagerie]

Or is she just a beggar? I've read through some other threads, and it seems like the answer is that she's a beggar. But I feel bad when I walk into the room and she starts swimming, looking for food. Yesterday I put 12 crickets in there. I can't tell if she ate them all bc the water is so dirty right now, but I dont see any. I usually only buy six a time, a couple of times a week. The other days I am alternating between omega one and repotmin pellets. So far not much success with fruit or veggies. I believe she is a little over a year old. She was given to us about this time last year.

Can I feed dried fruit/veggies? I would buy human grade, not from the petstore. I imagine I would waste less that way, since she eats so little.

[steve]

They are beggars. They can act all nuts trying to get your attention. How many pellets are you using?

[MerryMenagerie]

I haven't been counting. Less than a teaspoon, but bigger than her head, once a day, crickets twice a week.

[steve]

Cut it down... less than head size and every other day. Make another effort on the veggies and cut down on crickets/fish.

[MerryMenagerie]

She hasn't eaten any fish. We had one in the smaller tank for a few months, but it died of natural causes. How many crickets per week should she get? I will keep trying with veggies. Can I feed the dried ones?

[swiltz]

Yeap, you should cut down on the feeding! How large is your res and how old is she?
Excessive feeding will lead to unnecessary growth spurts that will cause health problems down the road.

Regarding dried fruits/veggies, are fine unless they have added sugars or preservatives. Personally i would stick to fresher alternatives as most of the vitamins and minerals are still preserved.
Try the tough love method, and gradually reduce the amount of protein in its diet (pellets/crickets).

[MerryMenagerie]

She's approximately a year old, maybe a few months older. The last time I measured her, she was almost three inches.

http://i1347.photobucket.com/albums/p71 ... 225ae5.jpg

[steve]

The shell is a bit rough, so I would cut down on the protein. I would skip crickets too unless you are loading them with calcium. Just pick up a head of red leaf lettuce... should last you a week or more.

[swiltz]

hmm. Seems fine. Shes a good size for her age. As steve mentioned, its time to cut down on the protein and up the veggies!